Chapter 3

3

The next day, under my father's arrangement, I attended a high-profile business gala.

In my past life, I had trapped myself in a cage for the sake of love, losing my identity.

Now that I was back, I had no intention of making the same mistake.

The ballroom was brilliant with lights. I wore a white haute couture gown, gliding through the crowd of socialites.

Suddenly, I spotted two very familiar figures in the distance.

When our eyes met, Jace looked stunned, then his expression soured as he straightened his collar.

Knowing him, he probably expected me to rush over and beg for his forgiveness as usual.

I simply gave him a cold, passing glance and turned my head away.

However, a moment later, Seraphina pulled Jace over to me with a fake smile.

"Nyla, is that really you? I almost didn't recognize you. You usually hate these events. Why the change of heart?"

I gave her a look of pure annoyance, took a sip of my wine, and ignored her completely.

Seeing that I wouldn't engage, Seraphina looked at Jace with a pained expression.

Jace immediately frowned, his eyes filled with disapproval.

"Nyla, Seraphina is talking to you. How can you be my wife if you have no manners?"

I looked at the clown in front of me and smiled contemptuously. "We've already broken up. What I do is none of your business."

Having his pride wounded in public made Jace's face darken even more.

"Stop pretending. You claimed to cancel the engagement, then followed me here. Nyla, when will you stop these desperate games?"

"If you apologize for what you said yesterday, I might still consider going through with the engagement."

I was reaching my limit. Apparently, I hadn't been direct enough earlier.

I couldn't help but scoff.

"You're a talentless, arrogant man. Only an unrefined girl like her would treat you like a prize and cheat to get you."

"Anyone else with a brain would run as fast as they could in the other direction."

I let out a dismissive laugh. Jace looked like he was about to shatter the glass in his hand.

Before he could speak, Seraphina stepped forward, her face flushed with anger.

"Nyla, how can you talk about Jace like that? To me, he will always be the best!"

Seeing her acting like a devoted protector, I held back my disgust and gave her the most sincere look I could muster.

I pushed her gently toward Jace's chest.

"Since you feel that way, and my engagement with him is over, he's all yours. The son of a maid and the daughter of a driver―you're a perfect match."

The air around us went dead silent. Everyone nearby turned their eyes toward Jace and Seraphina.

Seraphina's eyes turned red as she bit her lip. "Nyla Grayson, you can insult me, but you can't treat Jace this way!"

"Just because you're rich, you think you can trample on people's dignity? I can't believe you're this cruel!"

I looked at her with amusement and then delivered a stinging slap to her face.

A red handprint immediately appeared on her porcelain skin.

"A mistress who steals other people's boyfriends has no right to judge my character."

"If I hadn't promised my dad not to cause trouble before my wedding, I'd have someone rip that lying mouth off your face!"

I was the heiress of the Grayson family. Everyone in our circle respected my status.

In my previous life, I had tolerated her for Jace's sake. Not anymore.

Seraphina froze. The mockery in my voice was so sharp that she burst into tears.

"Jace, look at her..."

She sobbed while clutching Jace's sleeve, waiting for him to defend her.

To her surprise, Jace didn't even look at her. He was staring at me.

"Nyla Grayson, what did you say? What wedding? We haven't even had our engagement yet!"

I pulled a wedding invitation from my clutch and waved it in his face.

"I forgot to tell you. I'm getting married. To another man."